Chapter Eighteen
“Stonewick was wonderful in so many ways. The village nurtured my magic. But at times, it was also suffocating. Your Grandmother Elira was respected and beloved. She had an innate talent, a powerful gift. People expected the same from me since I married into the family. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never match her brilliance.”
“You didn’t need to match her.”
The room's coziness provided a little extra comfort as my mom confessed things that I knew were difficult.
She shook her head slowly and sighed.
“You may see that now, but things were different back then. The comparisons were relentless, but the quiet pity was worse. I felt invisible in her shadow, and magic became a burden instead of a joy. I longed for freedom, a life without expectation. It’s hard to live up to someone else’s legacy.” My mom shrugged. “So her magic just kept growing inside the Academy while mine withered.”
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
“That’s life. It took me a long time to realize I should stop comparing myself to others.”
“Is that why you kept me away?” I asked.
“Partly.”
“You could have at least told me what we were. Who we were.”
“I thought I was protecting you. I didn’t want magic to break your heart like it had broken mine. I was afraid you'd feel trapped like I did.” Her expression clouded with regret clear in her eyes.
I nodded and took a sip of tea. “What’s strange is that I’ve never felt freer. I don’t think magic is just something you can walk away from. It finds you.” I let out a sigh as my mind drifted to Celeste. Was she a witch too?
“For years, I’ve felt lost, and now I have a purpose. It feels good,” I told my mom.
“I never meant for you to feel lost. I truly believed a normal life was better for you. One without magic’s complications.”
A horn honked outside, and I stood to look at the bustling village filled with happy tourists, collecting crystals, scented candles, and dreams.
“But you underestimated me. Magic is part of me. And this town feels like home.”
She nodded slowly, and a wistful smile tugged at her lips.
“You are strong, Maeve. Stronger than I was. And perhaps braver. I see it now, the courage you carry so naturally. I'm sorry it took so long for me to understand.”
“I feel like there’s so much you could teach me, Mom,” I said softly. “I feel so confused in this world, and trying to undo a curse I barely understand is nearly crushing.”
“Maeve, I need you to understand something. I didn’t only leave Stonewick because I felt small in your grandma’s shadow. I left to protect you.”
“From what?” I already knew the answer.
Her eyes shone with emotion.
“I saw the signs, Maeve. The Wards were weakening, the curse slowly unraveled around the people of Stonewick, and the threats were becoming more reliable. The darkness that seeped through town was too powerful for me to mend.”
“You just wanted to save me.”
“My magic was always modest, not like Elira’s. When it came down to it, I didn't trust myself to keep you safe. I told your dad, but he refused to leave. Felt it was our family’s duty to fight Shadowick’s curse since his mom was trapped inside the Academy.”
My chest tightened.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”
She sighed. “Because I felt you deserved normalcy. I wanted you to have a life free of lurking shadows and hidden curses. I believed leaving Stonewick was your best chance at that. But it seems fate, or perhaps magic, had other plans.”
“We can’t escape our destiny.”
My mom laughed and nodded. “My only hope now is that mine doesn’t involve endless cruising.”
I chuckled and nodded. “You’ve always loved to travel.”
“I still do.” She eyed me fondly. “But really, honey, I thought I was protecting you. I still hope I did, even if it cost me your trust.”
Her words squeezed my heart, and I knew I probably would have done the same with a young Celeste.
“You were trying to keep me safe. I get it.”
“And though it broke my heart to leave Stonewick, I'd do it all over again to ensure your safety.”
I felt warmth spread through my chest at her acknowledgment. “You could still return, Mom. Stonewick is different now. The Academy is reopening. People will be returning and reuniting—witches, fae, shifters. It's becoming the place it was always meant to be, inclusive and hopeful. Before the divide.”
For a moment, she hesitated, the possibility flashing behind her eyes. Then she shook her head softly. “My path diverged too far from Stonewick, Maeve. But yours leads directly here. You belong in Stonewick and in the magic. You've always belonged here, even when I couldn't see it.”
“But it doesn’t have to be separate paths. Maybe staying here would heal something in you, too.”
She considered that quietly, sipping her tea.
“Perhaps one day, I will stay. I never stopped loving Stonewick, Maeve. But sometimes love is complicated, and you have to let go of something you cherish deeply so it can flourish without you.”
I looked around this hotel room and tried to understand what all she was telling me. She wasn’t just talking about Stonewick or magic but also me. She had stepped away, hoping I would blossom without her burdens.
The silence between us lingered, punctuated only by the gentle tick of an antique wall clock. I knew there were still so many things left unsaid, shadows of the past that hovered between us, unresolved. And there was one shadow in particular that refused to leave my mind.
“Mom,” I finally said, my voice quiet. “Can I ask you something about Gideon?”
She glanced up sharply as surprise flickered in her eyes before fading to a careful wariness.
“Gideon? What about him?”
“Did you know him when he was younger? He would have been around the same age as Keegan. I’m just trying to understand him better. He hates Stonewick so much, and I don’t know why. Do you have any idea what could have made him that way?”
My mom hesitated and pressed her lips together.
“I knew of him. Gideon’s family has always been deeply connected to Shadowick. They were involved in the village's priesthood for generations. The family has always been respected in Shadowick. I knew his parents had great expectations for Gideon, especially since he showed so much potential at such a young age.”
“From what I’ve heard, Gideon’s family was overjoyed when he decided to study magic. He was sharp—remarkably talented even as a boy—and they’d always dreamed he’d become a shadow priest. Someone who could guide Shadowick spiritually and help reconnect our two communities through magic and tradition. They believed he might be the leader who would heal old divides.”
“What do you think changed?”
“I really don’t know. But something shifted when he was around fourteen or maybe fifteen. He was still just a kid. But it was like a light inside him flickered then turned into something else. One moment he was studying, admired by elders from both villages, and the next... he was different. He made a lot of waves from a young age.”
“How different?” My stomach twisted.
I could feel the pieces falling into place.
If I could understand Gideon’s past and his motives, maybe I could break the curse he left behind.
“It wasn’t just Gideon,” she said. “Everything between Stonewick and Shadowick started to unravel. It’s funny how history rewrites itself and people forget. But we weren’t always on opposite sides. Before I came to the village, I’d heard how shared traditions, spells, and even teachers were part of our existence. The priests of Shadowick used to travel here to exchange knowledge. And young witches from Stonewick were welcomed there in return. We were... one community.”
“So what made him turn on us?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“It doesn’t feel like politics,” I said after a beat. “It feels... personal.”
She gave a slow nod. “Some people believed Gideon stumbled across something darker during his studies than anyone realized, and I have to say they were probably right.”
I nodded, feeling closer to the answers than before.
She paused, then added, “Whatever it was, it changed him. Suddenly, we weren’t allies anymore. We were in the way, and he convinced the elders of this very thing.”
“And that’s why everyone is worried this dynamic could spread to other factions.”
“Precisely. Gideon started pushing this idea that Shadowick needed to break free. We were holding them back, hoarding power, stuck in old ways. At first, his family tried to pull him back from that edge. But he had a way of convincing people. Too good at it. Even they ended up siding with him.”
“So, Gideon’s hatred wasn’t always there?” I asked quietly, feeling the weight of this new information press heavily on my chest. “He wasn’t born despising Stonewick?”
That kind of matched what I saw in his mind.
“No,” she said firmly, though her voice carried an edge of sorrow. “He wasn’t. But hatred grows quickly, Maeve, especially when fed by fear and misunderstanding. The more Gideon spoke, the more he convinced Shadowick to close ranks. The old alliances crumbled. Trust dissolved overnight. In a single generation, we became strangers and then enemies. Gideon played a crucial part in severing those ties.”
Her words rattled me. “Do you think there’s something specific he blames Stonewick for?”
“I think Gideon believes we betrayed Shadowick or that we somehow stole something from them…maybe magic or knowledge they were entitled to. But the truth? I’m not sure anyone knows, not even Gideon himself. Sometimes hate becomes a force unto itself, needing no clear reason.”
“Do you think Gideon is beyond redemption? Is it too late for Stonewick and Shadowick?”
“Nothing’s ever completely beyond redemption, Maeve. If anyone can restore balance, it’s you. Your magic, your heart...you’re everything I wished I could’ve been but wasn’t strong enough to become.”
A heavy silence stretched between us, filled with things left unsaid yet fully understood. I took her hand, squeezing it gently. “Thank you, Mom.”
She smiled sadly, returning my grip. “Just be careful, Maeve. Gideon’s wounds run deep, and his hatred is powerful. Whatever path you take, don’t underestimate him.”
“I won’t. I’ve already met him and…”
“What?” Shock ran through her expression. “You’ve met him?”
I couldn’t exactly tell her how or why, so I just nodded.
“You’re in this far deeper than I realized.”
“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”
“Mom,” I asked softly, the question bubbling carefully, “did you ever hear anything more about my dad? After Gideon’s curse, I mean?”
“Maeve, your father—Alaric Franklin Bellemore—was destroyed in that first wave of battle, the moment Gideon cast that awful curse. Everything happened so fast, we hardly knew who we’d lost until days afterward. But Alaric…” She trailed off, voice tight with emotion. “He was among the first.”
My heart froze.
She truly didn’t know.
All this time, she’d believed him dead—her husband, my father, lost to Gideon’s darkness decades ago.
And suddenly it clicked…why he'd been called Frank all these years instead of Al. He’d chosen his middle name, Franklin, to hide in plain sight from those who might recognize Alaric. I kept my face carefully neutral.
“Thank you for telling me,” I murmured gently.
“He would be so proud of you, Maeve. I might have run away, but you’re standing strong.”
“Thank you. I hope so.”
“So,” Mom said lightly, smoothing her skirt as she settled into the armchair near the window, “have you told Celeste yet? About you being a witch?”
My chest tightened with instant guilt. Celeste was my daughter, my rock through the divorce, and yet, despite everything we’d been through, this was the one secret I still hadn’t shared.
“Not exactly,” I admitted, cringing a little. “It’s been… complicated.”
She raised an eyebrow, her expression both curious and skeptical. “Complicated?”
“Celeste has a boyfriend, and she spent Christmas with him, her dad, and her dad’s new girlfriend.”
“Sounds fun,” my mom said, lifting her brows.
“It did until I got a call from her today that her dad suddenly started barking on all fours and scared away his girlfriend and Celeste’s boyfriend.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“I accidentally did it. Alex slipped into my head mid-spell and…”
“Oh no,” Mom said softly, biting back a smile. She knew my history with Alex all too well.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “And before I realized what I was doing, magic got away from me.”
Mom burst into laughter so genuine and full-bodied that I couldn’t help but join in. Her shoulders shook, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled for breath. “Oh, Maeve—of all the things you could have done…that is priceless.”
“We got it straightened out. Celeste probably thinks her dad fell off his rocker, but…” I said between happy tears.
“No harm, no foul.” She shook her head. “When you decide to tell her, it will all make perfect sense.”
I chuckled, and at that moment, my mother’s reassurance echoed softly between us. I truly believed that someday, it would all come together.